Chimney-cleaner.



R. FUCHS & 0. ANDERSON.

GHIMNEY CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.11, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914.

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@mem/bow le mdersow R. FUCHS & 0. ANDERSON.

CHIMNEY CLEANER.

APPLIGATION PILBD DBG. 4, 1913.

1 ,097,418 Patented May 19, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Sme/whoa COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTDN, D.

YUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT FUCHS, 0F FORT RIPLEY, AND OLE ANDERSON, 0F BRAINERD, MINNESOTA.

CHIMNEY-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 4, 1913.

To all vso/0m it may concern Be it known that we, ROBERT F UoHs and OLEANDERSON, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at FortRipley and Brainerd, in the county of Crow Ving and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chimney- Cleaners;and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements 1n chimney cleaners andparticularly to those employing a plurality of brushes for loosening thesoot on the inside of the chimney.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter so constructed as to obviate the danger of soot being forcedout of the chimney holes in the rooms below the point where the ehim neyis being cleaned. y

A secondary object is to provide a simply constructed chimney cleanerwhich will be strong and efficient in operation and which may be storedin a small space.

lith the above objects in view, the invention resides in certain novelfeatures of construction and combination herein described and claimedand shown in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of our 11nproved chimney cleaner; Fig. 2 is a side view takenat right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional viewof the complete device; Fig. 4- is a detail sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views taken on thelines 5--5 and 6 6 of Fig. 1 respectively; Fig. 7 is a rear elevation ofone of the brush heads and a portion of one of the supporting armsshowing the brush in position to be secured thereon or removedtherefrom; Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal scctional view taken on theline 8-8 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings our improved chimney cleaner is shown as comprising, ingeneral, a main supporting shaft 1, a plurality of flexible arms 2liingedly connected thereto at their upper or inner ends, cleaningelements 3 carried by said arms, a sleeve e slidably mounted on saidshaft for actuating said cleaning elements, and a trigger 5 for normallyholding said sleeve down and retaining said arms in a retractedposition.

The shaft 1 is preferably formed of square tubing, for the sake oflightness and said shaft is provided at its upper end with an enlargedhead 6 carrying a fiat plate 7 provided with a plurality of guideopenings and with a stop 8 at its lower end, for a purpose to appear.

Connected by hinges 9 to the head 6 of the shaft 1, are the flexiblearms 2 above mentioned. These arms are provided at their lower or outerends with tapered dove tail heads 10, pivoted resilient latches 11 andslides 12 for normally holding said latches in contact with the outerfaces of said arms. These heads 10 are adapted to engage the innerundercut sides of lugs 13 carried by the backs 14; of the cleaningelements 3, here shown as in the form of stiff' brushes. The upper endsof the backs of said brushes are provided with notches 15 in which theresilient latches 11 are adapted to seat when said brushes are inposition. The slides 12 are then forced over said latches and hold thesame securely seated within said notches 15.

The sleeve f1, above referred to, is provided on one of its sides, nearits lower end, with an opening 16 for a purpose to appeal' and on itsupper end with a lateral flange 17 provided, at suitable intervals, withguide openings 1S through which the arms 2 loosely project. Cables 19are connected in any suitable manner to the flange 17 and are passedupwardly through the Guide openings in the plate 7 and are, at asuitable point, knotted and secured to a single cable 20.

The trigger 5 is shown as comprising a shank 21, a lateral foot 22 and avertical ear 23, said ear being spaced from the lower end of the shaft 1and provided with an inwardl'y extending stud 24. The shank 21 isprovided with lateral flanges which straddle the opposite sides of theshaft 1 and are pivoted thereto by means of a bolt 25.

1n the operation of the device, the sleeve l is lowered thus bringingthe arms 2 and the cleaning brushes 3 inwardly. The stud 24 of thetrigger 5 is then engaged with the opening 1G in the sleeve and theweight of the lateral foot 22 of said trigger will hold said studengaged with the opening 16 until said trigger is tripped in a manner tobe eX- plained. The entire device is then lowered into the chimney bymeans of the cable 20 which, pulling on the cables 19, will cause theweight of the entire device to be supported upon the flange 17 of thesleeve 4.

When the trigger 5 contacts with the bottom of the chimney, it will rocharound its pivot bolt and the stud 24 will be disengaged from theopening 16 in the sleeve. An upward pull on the cable 20 will now causethe sleeve 4 and the flange 17 to ascend, and owing to the fact, thatthe upper ends of the arms 2 are substantially in contact with the shaft1, while the guide openings 1S are spaced a considerable distancetherefrom, the ascent of said sleeve will cause the arms 2 and thecleaning brushes 3 to be forced outwardly into contact with the innerwalls of the chimney. A further upward pull on the cable 20 will causethe entire device to rise and effectually remove the soot from the innerwall of the chimney. This operation may be repeated until the desiredresults are obtained.

By the above described arrangement, the brushes 16 will not contact withthe walls of the chimney on their descent owing to the fact that theyare in a retracted position but when the trigger 5 is tripped, as abovedescribed, they are free to engage said walls. This obviates the dangerof any soot being forced downwardly in the chimney and out the variouschimney holes into the rooms below.

Although we have described our invention with considerable minuteness,we do not wish to be limited to details other than those amplified inthe appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new is:

1. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting device to be lowered andraised in a chimney, retractable members on said device carryingcleaning means, and an automatic trip mechanism having a part to engagethe bottom of the chimney for releasing said members.

2. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting device to be lowered andraised in a chimney, retractable members upon said device, cleaningmeans carried by said members a slide on said device to actuate saidmembers, a suspending cable connected to said slide and a latchmechanism for the slide actuated automatically when the device strikesthe bottom of the chimney.

3. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting shaft, fleXible arms hingedat their inner ends to said shaft, cleaning elements carried by theouter ends of said arms, means for retaining said arms in a retractedposition, and means including a portion of said first named means formoving the arms outwardly to cause said elements to contact with theinner walls of the chimney.

A. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting shaft, flexible arms hingedat their inner ends to said shaft, cleaning elements carried by theouter ends of said arms, a sleeve slidably mounted on said supportingshaft, said sleeve being provided with an opening in one side, guides onsaid sleeve slidably engaging said arms, a trigger pivoted to said shaftand having a stud projecting into the opening in said sleeve and a footfor engagement with the bottom of the chimney to retract said stud fromsaid opening, and means for raising said sleeve to force said armsoutwardly and to cause said cleaning elements to contact with the innerwalls of the chimney.

5. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting shaft, flexible arms hingedat their inner ends to said shaft, cleaning elements carried by theouter ends of said arms, a sleeve slidably mounted on said supportingshaft, said sleeve being provided with an opening in one side, guides onsaid sleeve slidably engaging said arms, a trigger pivoted to said shaftand having a. stud project-ing into the opening in said sleeve and afoot for engagement with the bottom of the chimney to retract said studfrom said opening, guides carried by said shaft, and cables passingthrough the same and connected to said sleeve for actuating the same toforce said arms outwardly and to cause said cleaning elements to contactwith the inner walls of the chimney.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscrib- .ing witnesses.

ROBERT FUCHS.

OLE ANDERSON. Vitnesses:

FRANK Gr. HALL, J. H. WARNER.

Copies of this patent may ne obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of .'iatents,

Washington, D. C.

